A freak accident
by anne-benedicte
Summary: Kate Stewart's conference doesn't end as planned, and Bernie and Serena find themselves with a mystery patient
1. Chapter 1

"Osgood, I'm glad I caught you – I'm just about to board, but I wanted to check in with you first. Anything urgent needing my attention in London?"

"Nothing urgent Ma'am. You've only been away for two days…"

"I know, I know – but it seemed like weeks! What a waste of time! I can't believe they dragged me all the way to Geneva for that."

"Oh? The conference looked interesting…"

"Well, it wasn't. A lot of technico-babble nonsense, and a pseudo Aliens expert who'd never even met one. I can't believe UNIT head office funded such a farce. We got some lovely complimentary chocolates though – I'm bringing you some back."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"So if there's nothing urgent, I'll go home tonight, unpack, unwind, and see you at the Tower tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day, Osgood."

"Thanks! Safe travel"

"Thank you."

Kate Stewart had just rung off when she was called for take-off. The small Squirrel helicopter was waiting for her on the tarmac. After exchanging a few words with Captain Thompson, the pilot and strapping herself in the seat, Kate settled for the flight back to Brize Norton. She didn't like small aircrafts – too noisy and stuffy - but as she was the only one to fly back to Britain, she had had no choice in the matter. Her thoughts were wandering alternatively on Unit ongoing affairs and on the hot bath she was going to take at home when she heard a variation in the engine noise:

"Problem, Captain?"

"I don't know, Ma'am – trying to find out."

"Well, do! And please tell me asap!" That sounded a bit cranky, but she was tired and fed up about having wasted precious time in Geneva. The chopper began to shake, and she heard a trace of panic in the pilots' voice coming in her flight helmet: "Engine's failing, Ma'am – prepare for crash-landing over the Channel."

"Really? Is that the only option?"

"Afraid so, Ma'am."

For a millisecond, Kate's brain froze, and she tried desperately to remember and focus on what they'd taught her during the training sessions. She sat up and located the nearest exit, and grabbed the Emergency Breathing Device the pilot handed her. One memory from training flashed in her brain – the helicopter would be upside down, flooded, and sinking in seconds, if it didn't blow before impact. Her chances of surviving this one weren't good. She thought about her sons, and in her mind, she apologised to them – they didn't know exactly what she did, and she had never told them she could be in mortal danger. And she hadn't told them she loved them either, not for a long time. Then, as she braced herself for impact, tucking her head on her chest into her arms, her last thought was: "I've survived dinosaurs, Silurians, Daleks, Missy, and I'm going to die in a freak helicopter accident - that's a dirty trick!"

Then she felt herself thrown into the air, flying objects all around her, and the ice-cold water slowly submerging her. She tried to take deep slow breaths for the EBD to work, but she panted, gasped and suffocated before losing consciousness.

The only visible part of Bernie Wolfe were her eyes, and they showed concern. Even with all her trauma expertise, she knew they would have a job to save the woman currently lying in theatre. She had been paged away from an elective surgery for this one, and she would fight, but the odds were against her – against both of them. The patient had suffered several grave burns, in addition to a broken leg, a ruptured spleen, multiple rib fractures and injuries to the spinal cord and vertebrae that could leave her tetraplegic if not treated properly. Her face was a mass of bruises, her nose broken, and she had been intubated in the Medevac. As Dominic Copeland enumerated the injuries listed on arrival, Bernie sighed and braced herself – she had treated many multi-traumatised patients in Afghanistan and Irak, but this would be a challenge: "Dom? Do we know her name and what happened?"

"We don't have her name yet, but she was on board of an army chopper that crashed near the coast. Luckily, the pilot must have been able to send a signal before the crash, because the rescue team was nearly already on the spot, and they managed to medevac her. She was already suffering from hypothermia, though"

"I see… what about the pilot?"

"DOA"

Bernie sighed – another lost life, not even on the battlefield. Dom's voice broke her thoughts: "You know the strange thing? Apparently she was in mufti – one of the orderlies told me."

"Nothing that strange about it – maybe she's a civilian, a journalist, or something. Let's concentrate on the job at hand, shall we? We haven't got time to waste in speculations!"

The operation lasted for more than eight hours, with various specialists coming in to give a hand, and Bernie was exhausted. She thought she'd managed to save her patient's life, though, and that was the most important thing. When Serena saw her walk into their common office in AAU, she took one look at her and all but ordered her colleague to go and have a lie down in one of the on-call rooms. At first Bernie protested, but when Serena reminded her how she had strained her back again a few days before, she agreed to rest for a few hours, stipulating that she had to be paged if there were any new development on her mystery patient.

She must have dropped off in the early morning hours, because when she woke up several hours later, it was already 1.00 pm. After a quick shower and change of scrubs, she hurried back to the Trauma Unit. She grabbed a cup of coffee on her way, and made a beeline for her patient's room. The woman was apparently sleeping peacefully, although she was still intubated, and most of her face hidden by bandages. Bernie checked her file – someone must have come in the morning to identify her, because her name, Kate Stewart, and her age – 52 – appeared on it. Bernie noted idly that they were the same age and thought no more of it.


	2. Chapter 2

When Bernie went back to the office, Serena told her that two people frantic with worry had arrived at Holby early in the morning: "One of them was a Colonel Something and the other a young woman. She was rather agitated, but not a relative, apparently – she said she was a colleague. They seemed anxious about the quality of the care at Holby." Bernie smiled at Serena's obvious indignation.

"When I said you used to be an army surgeon, they calmed down a bit. Anyway, they didn't really say if she was Forces – I got the impression she might be MI5 or MI6."

Bernie's eyebrows rose: "Really?"

"Maybe – but it's none of your concern – not for the next two days at least."

"Why on earth?"

"Bernie! Don't tell me you've forgotten you're representing Holby at a Trauma Conference at the Royal Hospital in Liverpool?" Serena sounded exasperated. Bernie bit her lip: "Oh, yes – that – sorry, it clean went out of my mind. I've been a little …distracted."

Seeing Bernie's sudden hangdog expression, Serena softened: "What is it?"

"It's …my husband - Marcus… He's being difficult about the separation. I expected that, but … And he got the kids to write statements, too. I knew I wasn't mother-of-the-year material but …"

"I see."

"I thought I'd explained – you know, why I had chosen that job, why I wasn't at home with them, but apparently I went about it the wrong way. I knew it wouldn't be easy for them, but I thought that as long as they had their father, they would be all right."

Serena smiled sympathetically: "Come on! Stop beating yourself up. They _are_ all right, aren't they ?"

Bernie sighed: "Depends on what you mean by all right. Straight-A student Charlotte has decided she doesn't want to study Modern Languages anymore, she ditched uni to go woofing in Italy, and Cameron …" She sighed again: "When he said he wanted to go to med school, I was so proud… I thought …well, I thought I'd done something right, you know. And then, in his first year at med school, he got into a …festive… crowd. They partied a lot, and they experimented a lot too. After several warnings from the uni, they were going to send him down… I think Marcus pulled some strings – I was in Afghan at the time – anyways, they allowed him to drop out. And since then … well since then, he's been working on and off in bars and fast food chains. I'm sure he still smokes, too. Anyway, he doesn't want to talk to me anymore, and I ….Oh God, Serena! What have I done wrong?"

Bernie put her head in her hands and groaned: "Actually, don't answer that. I should have been there for them."

Serena stood up and came to put a comforting hand on Bernie's shoulder: "Good thing you're going to Liverpool – a change is as good as a rest, or so they say." Bernie lifted her head towards her colleague: "Couldn't you go instead of me? I hate public speaking. And …I'd like to keep an eye of that Kate Stewart – she's just been through a major surgery, and …"

"And nothing. We'll take care of her. And I can't go, because you're the expert in Trauma surgery, for one, and moreover, I have meetings I need to attend here. You'll be fine."

Kate blinked several times. Where was she? Her vision was blurry, her head ached, her throat felt raw and dry. She couldn't focus, she felt disorientated and weak all over. She tried to sit up, but found she couldn't. A rushing sound filled her ears, and she retched. Someone handled her a basin, but she had nothing to throw up – only a trickle of bile. She tried to open her eyes properly but the harsh glare of the neon lights hurt. Actually, everything hurt – even moving her thumb felt like an impossible task.

"What …where …" The words came out slurred and her tongue struggled to form a complete sentence.

"Don't try to speak just yet, Ms Stewart. We've just taken the intubator out, take your time. You're at Holby Hospital, and you've had an accident. You're going to be fine, but you've taken quite a battering."

"Not …the…first time."

"Ms Stewart, please! It will hurt less if you don't speak."

Kate shut her eyes again. An accident – what accident? Why couldn't she remember anything?

A little later, she heard someone come into the room again. Not the nurse – not the same footsteps. She forced herself to open her eyes – she had to know what was happening. She focused on the person standing at the foot of the bed, and wondered why the dark-haired woman looked so stunned. Even thought she was obviously trying to control her facial expression, Kate had been trained to notice such things, and it was obvious to her that the woman had had a shock.

Composing herself, Serena came nearer the bed and squirted her hands with antiseptic solution: "Good morning, Ms Stewart – I'm Serena Campbell, one of the consultants. It appears you're recovering very well. You'll be able to have visitors soon. You've had two already, but you were still in the recovery room. Is there anyone we can contact for you?"

Kate shook her head and immediately regretted it as it sent waves of pain inside her brain. She still couldn't remember what had brought her in that bed, but it must have been quite an ordeal, because she hadn't been in such pain for a long time …probably not since her sons' births. The IV in her wrist added an unwelcome burning and pulling sensation to her overall discomfort. She gingerly extended her right hand to her face and felt the bandages over her nose. The dark-haired consultant had seen her gesture, and told her that a plastic surgeon would come to see her shortly. Kate didn't really care about her looks, she was more interested in knowing when she could get out of this hospital, but she was too weak to argue.

Serena left the room, satisfied that the patient was as well as could be – some of her bloods weren't back to normal yet, and her heartbeat still a little below the normal range, but that was to be expected. Back in her office, she sat down heavily and stared at the empty chair on the other side of the desk. She'd had a shock – even though the patient's face was covered in darkening bruises, and she sported a huge bandage on her nose, she was the spitting image of... Surely that was not possible? She didn't know a lot about Bernie Wolfe's family, but surely her colleague would have told her if she had a sister – actually, Serena distinctively remembered Bernie telling her she was an only child like her – well, like her before she'd known she had a sister. Moreover, she had mentioned the surgeon's name to Ms Stewart's colleagues, and it didn't seem to ring a bell. For one moment she thought she must have drunk too much the night before, but she remembered she hadn't had alcohol for …a few days, since the weekend. She wondered if she could phone Bernie and ask her, but quickly decided not too – she didn't fancy being laughed at. She would wait until her return.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Kate's throat was a little less sore, and when the nurse asked if she was up to visitors, she smiled and murmured that she was – she'd learnt her lesson about nodding – not for a few days! Colonel Shindi and Osgood came together into the room, and she heard them both gasp. The Colonel saluted, and Kate frowned a little – she didn't know what had put her in the hospital, but in case it had been intentional, she didn't really want to draw attention to herself. Seeing that Osgood had tears in her eyes, Kate surmised that she must look at least as bad as she felt. However, Kate didn't cope very well with displays of emotions, so she tried to nip that in the bud:

"I'm fine, Osgood – don't look so glum."

The Colonel spoke up: "Thank God you're all right, Ma'am. It's …it's a miracle."

"I don't believe in miracles, Colonel – I'm a scientist, remember?"

"Yes, Ma'am , sorry – just glad you're alive."

"Me too, Colonel, believe me."

After breathing hard in her inhaler, Osgood came closer to the bed. Kate motioned her to sit down and she sank in the chair, murmuring: "Kate …We …we all thought you were dead!" Then, as if remembering who she was talking to, she quickly went on: "Sorry, Ma'am – but – when the message came, well …do you know the odds of surviving a helicopter crash?"

"Not good?"

"Well, actually, quite good – but if you add the odds of surviving in icy water, well, they get worse", replied Osgood.

"So you're telling me I was in a helicopter crash?"

Colonel Shindi and Osgood exchanged worried glances, which Kate intercepted: "It's all right, you two. The neurologist told me I would probably remember eventually. Right now, I've completely blanked out the accident. So can one of you fill me in?"

Osgood began: "Well, you were on your way back from the conference in Geneva, and …" Kate interrupted her: "Right …I remember the conference and …sorry, Osgood, I remember I promised you chocolates, I'm afraid that if I understand what you're saying correctly, they must be at the bottom of the sea – along with my laptop and …"

"Quite all right, Ma'am – I won't hold it against you" said Osgood with a wry smile.

"Thank you – so – let me try to piece it together – I remember going to the heliport, and – yes, getting in the chopper with a pilot, a captain I think …"

"Captain Thompson."

"Captain Thompson, that's it…. but after that …No, I can't remember. Did he …did he make it?"

Osgood shook her head and Kate's eyes darkened. She could see him on the tarmac, young and eager – she hated to see any of her men die, but it was harder when they were young recruits – he'd been about her eldest's age.

"Did anyone call my sons?"

"Not yet, Ma'am – we wanted to see you first," replied Colonel Shindi.

"Good man – thank you; no need to worry them. I'll call them myself. So – what happened to the chopper ?"

As Osgood summed up what they knew about the accident – which wasn't much – Kate realised that she was indeed lucky to be alive. And also that she was very, very tired. She couldn't seem to be able to keep her eyes open. Osgood saw Kate was fighting to stay awake and signalled discreetly to the Colonel that they'd better take their leave. Kate didn't even see them go – the combination of the morphine pumped into her and the last days' events had sent her into the deep oblivion of sleep.

When Bernie Wolfe came into her patient's room a few hours later, the room was in semi-darkness. She had only been back from Liverpool a few hours, but she wanted to see how the woman was doing. The surgery had been long and complicated, and she needed to check that the patient was doing okay. Serena had promised to check on her, as had Dom but …she acknowledged to herself that she wasn't good at delegating … Moreover, Serena had behaved strangely when she'd come in, almost as if she didn't want Bernie to see the patient, and Bernie was worried it meant there had been complications.

She approached the foot of the bed and peered at the patient's file, her eyes getting used to the lack of light – she didn't want to switch on the overhead lights, as she knew the woman needed all the rest she could have. Everything seemed in order, and she frowned, wondering anew about Serena's strange behaviour. Then she glanced at the sleeping woman's face and froze. For a minute, the room spun round and she reached for the back of the chair to steady her. She was looking at herself – a battered and bruised herself, but … There were probably a number of small differences hidden under the bandages and the hematoma, but the patient's face was eerily familiar. When Bernie walked back into her office, her shell-shocked expression told Serena she hadn't imagined the resemblance.

"You need coffee – or something stronger." Bernie nodded mutely and followed Serena out of the office. As they sat down on a bench outside, Bernie shivered.

"Are you all right?"

"I think so – it just feels …odd. It's not every day you meet your doppelganger."

"So she's not your sister then?"

"My sister? No – I don't have a sister. My father …he died – I never knew my father- he was a soldier, and he was killed in manoeuvre before I was born. At least, that's what my aunt told me."

Seeing Serena's interrogative glance, Bernie went on reluctantly: "My mother died giving birth to me, so I was raised by her sister and her husband. My aunt couldn't have children, so despite the circumstances, well …"

Serena's eyes filled with pity and she put a comforting hand on Bernie's shoulder. Even though her relationship with her own mother hadn't been plain sailing, at least she'd had a mother: "I'm so sorry."

Bernie smiled: "Don't be – I had a very happy childhood – my aunt and uncle were lovely people and I never doubted they loved me. And …as I never knew how it feels to have real parents, I didn't miss it." Her face clouded for a moment, and she took a sip of coffee to wash out the sudden bitter taste in her mouth. This was exactly why she didn't like to talk about herself – because despite the many happy memories she had, the saddest ones always came back too.

Serena watched her colleague attentively, and she would have said something when Fletch came through the glass doors and made a beeline for them: "Bernie! You're needed in the ward – your patient – she's burning up!"


	4. Chapter 4

Muttering an expletive, Bernie jumped up and rushed inside, followed by the others. The woman who'd been apparently sleeping peacefully was now awake, or at least her eyes were open, but unfocused. Bernie drew the sheet to expose the abdominal suture site, and saw it was red and swollen: "Damn it! Fletch, start her on an IV of Cefazolin 50, and find me a theatre – now!"

Kate was frozen to the bone – her body shook with shivers and she drifted in and out of consciousness. She heard voices around her, but couldn't make out the words. Then she decided to stop fighting – she couldn't do it anymore – there was a light at the end of the tunnel – a bright, inviting light, waiting for her, drawing her in. She started to walk towards the light – the pain was over, she floated …

"We're losing her! She's crashing!"

"We are _not_ losing her! Dr Digby, we need that IV in - now!"

"I – I'm trying, but…"

Bernie knew the young doctor was doing her best, but she couldn't help snapping at her: "Don't try – do it – or get out of this theatre! I've got no use for incompetence!"

This made the younger woman fumble even more, and drop the catheter she was holding.

"Step aside, now! I'll do it myself!"

Serena watched her colleague fight for her patient's life – she hadn't known the ex-army surgeon for a long time, but she knew that Bernie always did her maximum for her patients. That was why she'd accepted her in AAU. However, she sensed this one was different. Bernie's tone held a sharpness she usually hid – although she could be brusque, she was never unkind, and the way she spoke to Morven Digby worried her. The young doctor was obviously shaken, and her hands even trembled slightly. Serena guessed that behind the surgical mask, tears were not far away. It wasn't unusual for a surgeon to be offensive to his subordinates during a difficult operation, but for Bernie it seemed out of character.

"Ms Wolfe, I don't think…"

"I don't care what you think, Campbell – just help me with this!"

Serena decided she'd better hold her tongue, at least while they were in theatre and ordered: "Shock to 150 – clear!"

After two attempts, they managed to restore the patient's cardiac rhythm and Bernie finished draining the wound and cleaning it. Then, she walked out of theatre and scrubbed out so quickly that she was already gone by the time Serena and Morven came out.

After settling Ms Stewart in the recovery room, Serena wondered if she should go in search of Bernie. She wasn't in their office, nor in the locker room, nor in the cafeteria... Serena thought of trying her favourite hideout place, and as she arrived on the roof, she saw her colleague hunched over the steps, her head in her hands. Serena approached tentatively and sat down besides her. Bernie lifted her head, and her eyes were full of pain.

"Well? What happened to you in there, Wolfe?"

Bernie stared straight ahead mutely and swallowed audibly before looking at her colleague sheepishly: "Serena …I owe you an apology. I don't usually lose it in theatre, and I've seen much worse than this but– I shouldn't have snapped at you… It's just that …I'm used to being in command, to acting quickly and sometimes it feels weird her – as if everyone was acting in slow motion. On the battlefield, you just do – you don't have time to really evaluate the risks, to think …I guess that's why it appealed to me so much. No time to get lost in your brain. "

Serena still felt a little miffed with Bernie's behaviour in theatre, and she couldn't help thinking that even though the situation was bizarre in the extreme, and her colleague had reasons to be unsettled, she could let her grovel a little more…

"Serena? Please? I'm sorry! Forgive me?"

Seeing that Bernie looked genuinely upset, Serena relented: "Apology accepted. I guess there's a reason why we shouldn't treat members of our families."

"But she's not! And yet, somehow – what if she is? That would mean that my whole life, people have lied to me about …Everything."

"Well, maybe we'll know more when she wakes up. Or maybe you could ask your aunt and uncle?"

Bernie bit her lip and looked down: "They died when I was twelve. Car accident. I was at boarding school, and …well, after that, I stayed there most of the time, because …because I had no one else. Or rather it would have been better if I really hadn't had anyone else…" Her face darkened and she shook her head, as if to dispel unwelcome memories.

"Bernie …" How could her friend say she'd had a happy childhood, wondered Serena. What kind of childhood was it, twice orphaned, bookmarked by terrible events, alone in the world at twelve. Serena extended her arm to put it around Bernie's shoulders, but Bernie avoided it, jumped up and started for the roof's door: "I have to go and see how she's doing."

"Don't you think you should let me deal with her? At least until she's better?"

"Is that an order, Ms Campbell?"

Serena rolled her eyes: "Come on, you must admit that it is an awkward situation. Put yourself in her place – think back to when you were brought here… were you really in a state to weather any more shocks?"

Bernie smiled wryly: "You mean, apart from Naylor telling me I probably had TB, Marcus demanding I choose between him and the army, and Alex…." She clammed up suddenly. She couldn't go there…She didn't know Serena well enough to…

Serena went on: "About Morven…"

Bernie hung her head: "Yes, I know – I was too hard on her. I remember when I was in med school, I swore I'd never behave like those power-crazed megalomaniac surgeons who treated us like crap. How many times did I want to just give up … Actually, I think some of them were even worse than the officers at Sandhurst!"

"She was really shaken, you know…"

Bernie nodded and opened the door: "I'll deal with it."

When Bernie got back to the ward, instead of going to see the patient, she went in search of Morven. She knew she had to apologise to the young doctor, and as it was not one of her favourite things to do, she'd rather do it sooner than later. She managed to catch her between two patients and asked her to come in her office. Bernie took her seat and gestured to the younger woman to sit down again. For a fleeting instant, Bernie faltered – the younger woman looked as uneasy as herself - but she knew she had to do this.

"Don't worry, Dr Digby, I'm not going to take too much of your time. However, I am aware – I mean I realize – well, you must think …" Damn it! This was not easy. The young woman was eyeing her uncertainly. "What I want to say is that I was too harsh with you today in theatre, and I owe you an apology. I hope you will accept it."

Morven Digby looked astonished – whatever she'd expected, it was certainly not that. Bernie went on: "We're here to make better doctors of you, not to coddle you. You're going to have to be tough if you want to succeed here. The young woman reddened. "However, this means we have to lead by example, to act in a rational way and keep a clear head. I didn't do that today, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Thank you, Ms Wolfe – I …know I still have a long way to go, but … What I mean is we've all heard about your career and… "

Bernie's blushes rivalled the young doctor's and she stood up abruptly: "I'm sure you'll be a very good surgeon, Dr Digby. You're already very proficient. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."


	5. Chapter 5

When Kate opened her eyes, she saw her own face bent over her. She closed them again and pondered on that strange phenomenon. That was odd – she had read a little about NDEs – it was part of the aliens/ paranormal research she'd done before joining UNIT, but she couldn't remember anything about that. Some people did say they levitated above the operation table and saw their own bodies lying there, but not their own face staring at them. Oh, well – death was still a predominantly unknown quantity, so why not… She tried to move and moaned – that hurt! She'd also thought that dead people didn't feel pain anymore – if she ever got to get back to Earth, maybe as a ghost, she would try to set the record right. She could hear her heart pounding in her brain, her tongue seemed to be at least three times as large as normal and she felt light-headed.

"Ms Stewart? Ms Stewart, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me please?" Kate thought she recognised the voice – who was it …. Ah! The dark-haired consultant. She blinked and her eyes focused on the person standing beside her – she was right – she recognised the woman as well. So it meant that … That she wasn't dead after all.

"Ms Stewart? I'm Serena Campbell – do you remember me?"

Kate remembered – but then, that was an easy name to remember for her. Her "yes" was little more than a breath, but she heard the woman turn to another corner of the room and say: "She's coming to – but maybe- maybe you should wait before…?"

Another voice answered: "You're probably right" and Kate guessed that the other person was leaving the room. Meanwhile, Serena busied herself with checking Kate's vitals – if Bernie's family story had tugged at her heartstrings, the mystery woman touched her at another level. Maybe it was the resonance with her own unknown sister's story - Serena was sure the physical resemblance couldn't be a simple coincidence. Maybe it was because the woman looked frail and pale in that bed, and Serena could sense that somehow, this was a woman used to being in charge, in control, and that control had been stripped away from her by the doctors – by herself. Or maybe it was because apart from her two colleagues, who'd looked very stiff and proper, no one had enquired about her or come to visit.

For three days, Kate remained too weak to have visitors, and Serena checked up regularly on her. Luckily, the antibiotics had worked, and the infection had not resumed. Even though she still felt like a shadow of her own self, Kate was worried about UNIT. She had lost her cell and her laptop in the crash, and she had no other means of communicating with Osgood or the rest of the team. She tried to limit the doses of morphine in order to keep a clear head, but it meant she couldn't obliterate the pain completely, and fretting about work didn't make it better. She understood the need for rest, but she hated to be totally cut off from the team – she trusted them to get on with the current files, but…

When she saw Osgood come in, she was nearly hopping with impatience, or she would have been if her leg hadn't still been in plaster and her muscles in agony. Her right hand had brought flowers and a few books, but what Kate really wanted were news.

"Well ? What's happening at headquarters? Where are we on the X-660 file? And on the Decamerians? I hope you've also brought me a new laptop, so that at least I can work from here."

As Osgood remained strangely silent, Kate frowned – it was not like the younger woman to be quiet – even when she was nervous, she tended to babble: "Osgood? What are you not telling me?"

Osgood fidgeted on the chair and avoided eye contact.

"Osgood. Tell me what's going on – if you can't tell me as a friend, then this is an order."

Osgood gulped: "Ma'am …We – I mean headquarters – they were notified of your accident, and as they thought you would be out of commission for a while, they appointed General Yvon to oversee UNIT. And he…. well, he made it very clear that you were not to be "disturbed" by any ongoing case for some time."

Kate gaped at her assistant uncomprehendingly. Then, as the words sank in, she hoped that maybe it was all a nightmare, and that she would wake up eventually. As Osgood went on speaking, she realised it was not a nightmare. She had been deposed for an unknown duration, replaced by, of all things, a Frenchman. Of course her nomination as Head of Scientific Research had ruffled a few feathers, and she had made a few enemies, but… She'd hoped she'd proven her worth over the years, and overcome the awkward privilege of being The Brig's daughter. She was too plain-spoken and too intelligent to be to everyone's liking, but she thought she had won over the majority of the Head Command staff. What could she do, stuck there in a hospital bed? She had nothing against a few days of R&R – although if she readily agreed to them for her staff, she would just as well do without herself, but this was preposterous.

"General Yvon? That stupid pompous blockhead? He's no more a scientist than… than a five-years old playing with matches. Don't tell me he's commandeered my office as well!"

As Osgood nodded miserably, Kate's fury rose: "And you just let him take command? None of you objected? Colonel Shindi, or Josh, or Sam? I expected a little more loyalty!"

Seeing Osgood looking for her inhaler, Kate felt instantly guilty. She knew that they had to follow orders – even though she wasn't the one giving them: "Sorry, Osgood – I'm venting at the wrong person. This is just so…" Kate relapsed into silence just as Dr Digby entered the room. The young doctor saw how agitated the patient was and tried to check her temperature and her scar, but Kate crossed her arms and categorically refused to be examined: "Just leave me alone! I'm sick of you people poking and prodding all day long – I just want to get out of here!" Seeing that she was making things worse, Morven Digby excused herself and left the room. Osgood tried to speak to Kate, but she had turned her head towards the wall, and put her hands on her face. She sensed her boss needed time alone, and she made a discreet exit, leaving a cell phone on the bedside table where Kate would find it easily.

When Serena came into the room, some time later as Morven hadn't found her immediately, she understood immediately the reason for Morven's concern. Kate's eyes were red and swollen, and she had obviously been crying, although she made a good show of pretending she had not. She was also ashamed of having thrown a tantrum, and this time she submitted to the examination without protest. Serena tried to draw her out, but to no avail.


	6. Chapter 6

Back in her office, in answer to Bernie's raised eyebrows, Serena sighed: "That woman is at least as stubborn as you – I just hope she has the same powers of recovery. I don't know …maybe you should go and see her – she seems rather dispirited, as if she'd had bad news. Maybe seeing you would give her something else to think about."

Bernie grimaced: "Something not necessarily more cheerful, but …all right, it's worth a try."

When Kate saw the two women enter her room, she gaped at them incredulously. "Tell me this is a joke", she murmured to the one she recognised, the dark-haired consultant. Serena shook her head: "Ms Stewart – I know it must be a shock but – this is my colleague, Ms Wolfe – she operated on you when you first arrived."

Bernie and Kate stared at each other. Kate had met shape-shifters before – she'd already encountered a Zygon-Kate, and alternative Josh and Osgood, but somehow she sensed that the woman standing in front of her was fully human. There was no mistaking the genuineness of her bewildered expression trying to hide under a slightly stiff and forbidding demeanour. As Bernie approached the bed, Kate studied her face – a few more or less lines here and there, a slightly different haircut, cheeks a little fuller…But the resemblance was astonishing.

"Ms Stewart …Pleased to meet you." Bernie knew it was an asinine thing to say, but …

"Kate, please."

"And I'm Bernie." The two women remained silent, processing the situation. Finally, Kate spoke up: "I think we must assume that we are related."

"I don't have a sister – and …apparently we don't have the same birth date", answered Bernie, motioning to Kate's file at the foot of the bed. "Moreover, I don't buy the "twins separated at birth" theory – a little too Mills & Boon, don't you think?"

Kate smiled slightly: "The birth date doesn't mean much – records can be falsified – but …I agree with you, I don't have a twin sister. I've seen the hospital records of my birth."

"How on earth …?" Bernie was beginning to get angry – she didn't want anyone prying in her private life.

"Perks of my job – they do a very thorough identity check before hiring." Kate's expression darkened: "I'm afraid there is a more logical, although even less palatable solution. You probably look a lot like your mother? Except for the hair, of course."

Bernie fingered her blonde hair: "You know what they say …blondes have more fun – and it's not like you kept yours natural…"

"Touché."

"As for my mother…" Bernie thought about the pictures she'd seen of her mother as a teenager and a young woman – tall, rather gangly, brown-haired, brown-eyed…."Yes, I do look like her – or at least I did when I was younger."

"And I look very much like mine …So The Brig does have a type… Just like last time…"

"I'm sorry?"

Kate seemed lost in thought for a minute. This time hurt even more than the other, because if it was true, it meant that while he'd been with her mother, he'd also … She went on: "The Brig, or Brigadier Letheridge-Stewart – my father, and, if I'm not mistaken, yours as well. Not twin sisters, but half-sisters with very similar mothers."

Bernie nodded, but her shoulders sagged. That made sense, but it also shattered everything she had believed about her parents' couple, and it was hard to stomach. When she'd asked about her real parents, her aunt and uncle had always told her about the teenage sweethearts who'd married just before her father's first deployment in Borneo, where he had been killed just a few months after his arrival. Apparently her father must have been a very good actor, because her aunt had told her her parents seemed besotted with each other and had spent as much time as they could together. Moreover …was this why she was …why she and Marcus were separating? Was she like her father? She heard Kate say something: "Sorry?"

"Would you agree to a DNA test? It would settle the matter."

Bernie bit her lip – did she really want to know if she'd just acquired a relative? Finally, she nodded, a little reluctantly.

"Right! I'll call my people and arrange for it then."

"Your …people?"

Kate pretended she hadn't Bernie and grabbed the phone Osgood had left her. She scrolled down the contacts, and to her relief, she found Colonel Shindi's number in them. She was just wondering how she could get rid of the two consultants to make her phone call when their pagers beeped simultaneously, announcing the arrival of several RTC victims.

Once she was alone in the room, Kate took a deep breath – first her position, and now that? What had she done to the universe? This was beyond a joke. Of course, she'd known that her father hadn't really been the faithful type, at least when women were concerned, but she hadn't realised the extent of his philandering until after his death. Was it because he wanted a son and heir?

Their relation had been …bumpy and fragmented…She didn't really remember her parents together – she was so young when they'd separated – only five. She could just see flashes, pictures of a Christmas, a birthday party - being on a swing and yelling "higher, higher" to the person pushing her, the smell of fresh mud and pipe smoke, the taste of chocolate he'd brought her back from …Her reminiscences brought her back abruptly to her current job predicament, and she sighed. What would her father have made of it? Would he have been outraged at the way she was being treated? Or would he side with UNIT's top brass and agree that she was more than replaceable?

She had grown up without him, and yet following in his footsteps somehow, choosing Physics and Chemistry at university instead of Mathematics, but choosing Science all the same. Not an easy path for a girl, especially not for a girl with a baby – she loved her sons deeply, but neither had been conceived at the optimal time. She had been so young when Gordon had been born that she had not even realised what had happened – one night, one night only, with a student three years older than she was. And then, raising her son on her own, because she didn't want to saddle the father with an unwanted child – her son didn't need an absent father in her life either. Her mother had helped, luckily, because really, she was a child raising a child – just seventeen, with no clues whatsoever about kids. Her mother had not been best pleased with the pregnancy, but she had relented when she'd seen her daughter's distress. Kate had been worried about her studies, about never being able to find a job, and mostly about being a good mother to this little intruder. They had all lied – there was no maternal instinct – but in time she'd grown fond of the baby, so fond that when she had met someone else when she was just beginning her thesis at Oxford, she had agreed to have another one. She loved them both fiercely – more than the husband that she had divorced after only a year of marriage – and even though she wasn't demonstrative, she couldn't imagine being without Gordon and Campbell. As she'd called her first-born after her father, she had wanted to give her youngest a family name on her mother's side, and she'd chosen her mother's maiden name.

Kate had seen her father again briefly when she was about nine – she and her mother were living with her grand-parents back then, and he'd arrived on the doorstep, unannounced, declaring he was taking her for a holiday in the Scottish Borders. To her, he was a virtual stranger – she hadn't seen him for more than three years, and she had been so young when he'd left that she had protested. She didn't want to go, she wasn't a "big girl" and she didn't want to have a "lovely holiday in a castle" with that stiff man in a tweed jacket. She shouldn't have worried, because during their "holiday", she hadn't seen him much – there had been a little boy her age with whom to play, but nobody had come to her in the night when she couldn't sleep because she was scared of the shadows of the huge wardrobe and the curtains. She had fought alone against the ghosts lurking in the darks corridors, and no one had come to comfort her when the strange new food had been too much for her young stomach. When he'd brought her back to her mother, she didn't know her father any better than she had before the trip, and she had remained scared of the dark for several months.

After that, she had not seen him for more than twenty years – hadn't wanted to, and he hadn't offered either. They had reconnected because she had been threatened by his enemies, and only then had she learnt exactly what he'd been doing in the military. She had discovered UNIT, and he had helped her make her way to UNIT's headship. It had not been plain sailing, and at first he'd accepted grudgingly the fact that as a woman, she could be as good a scientist as a man, but, maybe resigned to never having a son, he had finally supported her….


	7. Chapter 7

Kate selected Colonel Shindi's number and called. By then it was already quite late, but she knew the Colonel wouldn't mind…

"Vikram? Kate Stewart here – am I interrupting anything?"

"No, Kate – it's good to hear from you. How are you feeling?"

"Never mind that – I need information." The Colonel cleared his throat and Kate knew she was putting him in a difficult position. "Not UNIT-related information, Colonel. I know about my …my temporary replacement and I don't want to put you in a difficult position."

"I'm sorry, Kate – there wasn't anything we …"

"I need information on a consultant here – Ms Wolfe – Bernie Wolfe. Everything you can find on her."

"I see – well, I have already accessed some data on her."

"You have?"

"Yes – when you were brought to Holby, the consultant we spoke to – a Ms Campbell, if I remember correctly – said the surgeon operating on you was a Ms Wolfe, and that she used to be in the army. Considering the circumstances, well …we just had to check."

"What do you mean, considering the circumstances?"

"We still don't know why the chopper crashed. And it was not your usual carrier – if you remember, this one was a British military helicopter ordered specially for you by headquarters. And you know that our relationship with UK's forces is not always …"

"Yes, I know that, thank you, Vikram. They still haven't forgiven us for some of our successes – but surely you don't think that Ms Wolfe could have been planted in Holby to harm me? This sounds utterly ludicrous!"

"I don't – not anymore. As I said, we've checked her military file thoroughly, and she's got impeccable credentials. Major Wolfe has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and she'd even been awarded the George Cross. She's also graduated top of her class at the Bristol Medical School, and she's one of most famous trauma surgeons in …"

"All right, all right – anything about her family?"

"Dead parents, father used to be in the military too, her mother was a secretary. Raised by an aunt and uncle after her parents' death, and then by another uncle."

"Do you have a DNA sample for her?"

"Osgood can probably find that in her files, yes."

"Good! I want a copy of her genetic profile."

Ignoring the Colonel's surprise, she cut the goodbyes short and rang off. She felt absolutely exhausted. She was used to juggling several crises at the same time, but at the moment she had no idea how she would get her job back - or deal with Bernie Wolfe if they were indeed related. If a family connection could help her get out of that hospital bed faster, she was all for it, though, even if she had the impression that Major Wolfe would not let her out until she was one hundred per cent sure she could be released.

When Bernie left the room, she realised her shift had been over for more than an hour. She felt drained – evidently she could cope with trauma emergencies or war better than with personal issues. What if this was true? What would it change for her? And who was this Kate Stewart anyway? She thought about how Serena had been affected by discovering she had had a half-sister …but at least Kate was alive. The trouble was that she had no one she could confide in. Marcus had just served her with the divorce papers. She had no friends in England – the few she had were still in the Forces. Alex …Alex had clearly decided that she didn't want to see her anymore. Her children were out of the question, not until she knew more about the situation at least. Could she confide in Serena? She wasn't used to mixing her private and her personal life – having a bailiff come into Holby with the divorce papers had been excruciating enough, and the public exposure of her affair with Alex …Bernie shuddered. She wasn't quite sure Serena had forgiven her – although in truth, there was nothing to forgive, because it wasn't really something you'd tell a new colleague over drinks, was it? "Oh, I'm getting a divorce because I'm a lesbian and I've been having an affair with another army officer…"

Kate looked at her phone – there was no clock in her room, but the screen indicated it was already 2.00 am – way past her bedtime. However, although she was feeling desperately tired and drowsy, she just couldn't fall asleep. As she'd had a concussion, the doctors didn't want to give her sleeping pills, and although she'd slept during the first days after the accident, sleep now eluded her. Too much had gone on, and her brain just couldn't switch off. Moreover, she was afraid to let go …afraid to lose control. She tried to let her mind wander on other things – things that didn't concern the accident, her job, or …her potential new relative. However, her mind had other ideas …and it wandered on past rather painful roads…


	8. Chapter 8

The last time…

"Ms Stewart? I'm calling from Vauxhall – please hold the line…"

Then, a young woman's voice: "Ms Stewart? We've been informed that your team has information on enemy presence in Rumania threatening the UK. I would like you to send us the relevant files and data immediately. It should already have been done."

Even though Kate had only been Head of Scientific Research of UNIT for a few months at the time, she didn't take kindly to being ordered about, especially in a slightly uppish tone.

"May I ask whom I'm speaking to?"

"Emily Tuthill, MI6."

"I see …Well, Miss Tuthill, I wasn't aware that UNIT answered to your department. I see no reason to comply with your request. Goodbye."

On that, Kate hung up the phone. On second thoughts, she probably should have been a little more diplomatic than that, because the second phone call came from Headquarters, and this time, she was told in no uncertain terms that it was also part of her job to cooperate with the Secret Services on matters of national security. Even though UNIT was mostly independent and international, it was still answerable to the Ministry of Defence. So if MI6 needed files, it was her duty to provide them, and pronto…

Therefore, she had no other choice but to look up the required data about the energy fields detected in Transylvania. UNIT had liaised with the locals to find out more about them, but they had encountered a strong reluctance to speak – most of the inhabitants of the Carpathian mountains – and there were few of them – refused to talk about supernatural phenomena. Although they enjoyed the influx of tourists brought by the legend of Count Dracula, none of them would admit to believe in vampires – or aliens. UNIT conjectured that the energy fields could be linked to a new coven of vampires settling in the area. Over the centuries, various UNIT branches and the Doctor had had to fight vampires, and now they had access to new technologies, they had become more dangerous. Some of the clans possessed cloning knowledge, and even though some of them could feed on synthetic blood, not all could, and many of the new vampire species now had specific restrictions about what kind of human blood they needed to consume to survive. Anyway, Kate acknowledged to herself that the really reason she had blown that MI6 woman off was that UNIT had not been able to find out the crux of the matter …yet! Although they had detected the energy fields, the mountains made communication and investigation difficult, and …Oh well, she had no choice!

The General had insisted that she was to deliver the file herself – after all, he'd said, it wasn't that far from the Tower to Vauxhall, and it would be seen as a gesture of goodwill – a way to mend fences. Kate had tried to protest – obviously, when you lived in Geneva, going from A to B in London seemed easy enough, and of course, it wasn't that far, really – depending on the traffic! Moreover, she wasn't a courier, thank you very much, and she had no wish to meet the young woman she'd spoken to. She pictured her as a mousy, dowdy young woman – she could just see a puny bun of brownish hair and dark-rimmed glasses – a lowly clerk who gave herself importance by throwing her MI6 label at her interlocutors. She called Vauxhall and informed the secretary she would be there in half an hour – Kate was aiming for lunchtime – those regular government officials surely enjoyed a lavish lunch break, and she would enjoy spoiling it with shop talk for Miss Tuthill.

She was lucky enough to flag a cab down almost immediately, and she arrived at Vauxhall with time to spare. When an authoritative "Come in" answered her knock on the door of the office she'd been directed to, Kate was still fuming at having had to take this in her opinion pointless trip. The woman sitting at the desk had her back to the door, and she was speaking in an earset while gazing at the view from her window. This gave Kate a few minutes to revise her first opinion. Judging by the size of the office, this Emily was more than a simple clerk – and maybe less frumpy that she'd imagined – she at least appeared to have a half-decent haircut- a slick blonde medium-length bob, and the blazer hanging on the hat stand was well-cut and rather chic. Kate looked at her own outfit and grinned – she had dressed down that day, in casual beige slacks and a blue jumper –quite a contrast!

When the younger woman at last hung up and turned towards her, Kate had another shock. She had learnt to control her emotions and facial expressions – a requirement for the job, and apparently so had Miss Tuthill, because neither of them let their amazement show. Only an extremely pause before she extended her hand showed Emily's surprise.

" Emily Tuthill, Senior Operative Officer, Counterterrorism - you must be Kate Stewart. How do you do?"

"How do you do?"

"Please sit down – I'm afraid I don't have the luxury of a lunch break, but I can at least offer you a cup of coffee while I have a look at the file."

"Thank you." Kate sat down and extracted the too thin file from her briefcase while Emily went to switch the coffee machine. Then, as she sipped the coffee, she watched Emily read the file. If the younger woman was able to control her expressions when she was face-to-face with someone, she was obviously less practised in doing so while reading, and Kate could see from her frown and the way she pursed her lips that the contents of the file appeared unsatisfactory.

"Something wrong, Miss Tuthill?"

Emily laid the file down on the desk and sighed: "Vampires? Really?"

Kate found herself in a quandary – and on the defensive: "Why not?"

"Come on, Ms Stewart – you look like an intelligent woman. You can't possibly tell me you believe in the existence of vampires."

Kate knew that MI5 and MI6 looked at UNIT with contempt most of the time, and that the SIS tended to view them as a group of eccentrics who believed in the supernatural. Over the years, the Intelligence Service had had to accept that aliens could be a very real threat for the human race, but they tended to see their aliens as little green Martians landing with their UFOs – not the most usual kind of aliens UNIT had had to deal with. However, Kate wasn't in the mood to explain that some aliens could be vampires – or vice versa! Moreover, she was still processing the astounding resemblance between herself and the young woman facing her. Of course, there was probably about ten years between them – a few more lines and a few more pounds on herself, but it was undeniable – and it couldn't be random – her scientific brain refused to admit that.

"What I believe or not is none of your concern, Miss Tuthill", Kate answered curtly. "You wanted the file, and now you have it. Surely I don't need to talk you through it?"

Kate's eyes were steely, and her tone made Emily flinch a little. Of course, the fact that she had sitting on the other side of the desk an image of what she would look like in ten years didn't help. She must be more tired than she thought. Her brain was playing tricks on her. The last months had been harrowing, both in terms of work load and emotional load. Emily's superior was always warning her about caring for the field agents, but how could she not? Whenever something went wrong, she was the one sending them to their death…

Emily sighed: "No, you don't, Ms Stewart – we'll get back to you if we need more information. Thank you for dropping the file, but I'm afraid I have other commitments needing my attention right now." She didn't add; "Commitments that don't involve vampires but real threats to national security", but Kate heard it loud and clear. She didn't have time to waste either, even though she was still very much bothered by that uncanny resemblance.

Emily's commitments had to wait that day, as news of a terrorist attack in the London tube came by just an hour after Kate had left her office. She didn't really have time to dwell on her encounter with Ms Stewart, vampire hunter extraordinaire …

Kate went back to the Tower with a lighter briefcase but a heavier heart. During the last years of his life, she'd been very close to her father – they had talked about a lot of things in his past, even about things he wasn't very proud of, either in in personal or professional life. He'd told her how he'd regretted not being there for her more during her childhood, and he'd finally admitted that he was proud of her for following in his footsteps in a more scientific, less warmongering way. Of course, there had been the odd misogynistic remarks here and there, but he had encouraged her, and she wanted to honour his memory. He had talked about his second wife Doris too, and about the pain he'd felt when she had died. But he had never mentioned having had other children … Of course, a resemblance was not proof, but …there was no smoke without fire.

She might not belong to the SIS per se, but Kate did have a few means of investigating people, and once back in her office, she set to finding out exactly who Emily Tuthill was. Although her parents were not mentioned as married on the birth registrar, the names were clear enough – born on the 4th of May, 1978, of Joan Freeman and Alistair Gordon Letheridge-Stewart, twin daughters Emily and Eve… So she had not one, but two younger half-sisters…


	9. Chapter 9

Kate must have drifted off during the night, because the nurse coming to draw blood and check her vitals woke her up. She still felt as if she had to emerge from a thick dark fog to gather her thoughts. The neurosurgeon she'd seen had told her she might expect some confusion, dizziness, memory loss, concentration troubles for several months, so she would have to make the best of it. If she could only get out of this hospital bed, she could begin to sort out the mess her life had become. However, it appeared that the consultants had other ideas. Serena Campbell had no intention on releasing her just yet. She also seemed to have other things on her mind – Kate overheard some of the nurses talking about leaked patients files on the internet. Therefore, Ms Campbell informed Kate rather brusquely that she would just have to make the best of it for now…

Kate still hadn't heard back from Colonel Shindi a day after her call. She'd had no news from Osgood either, and she didn't especially buy the idea that no news was good news. She hadn't seen Bernie Wolfe again, and she didn't know what she felt about that. After all, what if they were really half-sisters? Was it enough to establish a relationship? It hadn't really worked with Emily – or Eve. But that might have been her fault – because after all, she hadn't told them what she'd found out. She had chosen the cowards' way – just ignore the problem in hope it would get away. It was true that she had had more pressing concerns at the time – not everyone had taken kindly to UNIT being overseen by a woman, and she had had a rough time of it. Then her father had died rather suddenly, and it had hit her hard – she'd felt robbed, bereft – they still had so much to share, and…even now, when she thought about his last days, she tore up. She rubbed her eyes furiously – "tigers don't cry", he used to say to her, using his pet name for her.

Her first few months as Head of Scientific Research hadn't gone smoothly. In addition to being a woman, she had no military background, and she disliked taking orders. UNIT had not taken kindly to her being parachuted to such a prominent position, and even though she had dropped Letheridge from her name, everyone knew she was the Brig's daughter. Her title gave her as much power as the highest ranking UNIT COs, but she had hoped to resolve the many volatile situations with her brain, not with weapons. Kate couldn't help blaming the army for the absence of her father during her childhood, and she disliked violence. It had not taken her long to understand that the entities she would have to fight did not share her non-violent ideas, and that she would more often than not have to retaliate with brute force, but, although she was now a crack shot with her Sig Sauer, she'd had a tough time surmounting her repulsion to learning to use it. She had had hectic months and not much support at first, and she had spent more nights at the Tower than she had at home, trying to make sense of the various files she'd been left. Only the idea that she could not give up – it was simply not an option – had kept her going. Finally, after several sleep-deprived months, so exhausted that she couldn't think straight anymore, she had swallowed her pride and gone to the UNIT heads, all but begging for the funds to assemble a team.

When she'd been called into the General's office, she'd found herself standing before an array of high-ranking officers, all in uniforms, comfortably sitting in armchairs, looking at her superciliously. Her father had had a bumpy relationship with head command, and evidently they weren't read to welcome her with open arms. Compared to the dress uniforms made almost garish by the medals and insignia, Kate's dark-blue suit with a pale blue shirt gave her a sober, almost nun-like appearance. Even though she stood ramrod-straight, her hazel eyes were underlined by dark shadows visible even under the carefully applied make-up. Her lips were set in a straight line, as if guarding any expression of emotion. Her hands were shaking slightly, and she cursed them for revealing the stress and the tension she was under. She couldn't let the officers win, couldn't let them see how tired and defeated she was feeling – if it was a battle of wills, she would fight, and she would win. For her father's memory and for herself. They had let her flounder and ask for help before acceding to her request, but actually, they had been more than happy to oblige, as it had been planned all along – the only thing they had not counted on was Kate's stubbornness. They had wanted to take her down a peg or two, to make her earn her stripes, to make her understand what UNIT was – basically, a place where loyalty and belonging had to be earned.

Once Kate had had the necessary funds, she had been able to form a team of eager and valiant new recruits, and seconded by Osgood, Captain Josh Carter, Lieutenant Sam Bishop and a few others, she had at last been able to sleep and to get her brain back in functioning order. Since then, they had been almost unstoppable …until …until the accident. Thinking back to those first few months, Kate felt a wave of discouragement engulf her. She had fought so hard to be where she was that she wasn't sure she would be able to do it all over again.

She was really worried about her friends and colleagues' silence. Surely they _were_ her friends? She had never had many friends – she had been a rather bookish and solitary little girl, and not that gregarious at university either. So maybe she didn't know how to do friendship? Maybe what she had with Osgood was not friendship, but just a workplace relationship? She was her boss, after all…Even though they'd gone through life and death situations together, they hadn't had that many heart-to-heart talks. It was never the right time, somehow. The fact that they were both very private persons and very shy didn't help. Of course, nobody really knew that about Kate, because with age, she'd learnt to hide it behind a commanding presence, a sharp tongue and a dry wit.

"Serena? Earth to Serena, I'm talking to you."

"Oh, Raf – sorry, I was miles away – what is it?"

"Your patient – the one in Room 6 - she was asking for you."

"Well, she can wait! I have other more pressing worries on my mind." Realising that she was shooting the messenger, Serena took a deep breath and apologised: "Sorry, Raf – I'm …I might as well tell you – the leak …my car was stolen last night, and with it, my laptop, and a box full of files. I've just been to see Hanssen about it, and obviously – well, let's just say I'm going to cool my heels at home for a few days…"

Raf looked at her sympathetically: "Right, I understand – so about Ms Stewart?"

"You can take care of her – or Hanssen will appoint someone to replace me for a few days, so let that someone do it." On that, Serena walked away and collided into Bernie, to whom she explained all over again that she'd just been suspended. Although she sensed her colleague's disappointment when she refused the offer of a drink, Serena chose to go home and drink alone. She was rather glad to avoid Holby for a few days – she'd been feeling very odd those last few days, and she couldn't pinpoint the reason why… She thought it had something to do with that Ms Stewart – was it that uncanny resemblance with Bernie? Or something else?


	10. Chapter 10

"So? When are you going to release me ?"

"I already told you, Ms Stewart – Kate – you really need to stay here for a while. Need I remind you of what you've been through?"

Kate sighed – apparently her newly-found half-sister wouldn't be swayed that easily: "No, you don't."

Bernie understood how the other woman felt – after all, it wasn't that long since her own accident. However, she couldn't bend the rules, especially since Hanssen had put her in charge of AAU during Serena's suspension. She could try to show some support, though: "Kate …I'm sorry – I know it's hard to be laid up in a hospital bed. And …well, if you're anything like me, you like to – need to – be busy."

Kate nodded: "Quite. And – I need to be at work – I'm …in a spot of trouble there at the moment." She bit her lip – she didn't really want to talk about it with a complete stranger – even if they were most probably related. Moreover, she remembered what Vikram Shandi had said – it was ludicrous, of course, the idea that people in the military might have wanted her dead, but …better be cautious.

"Oh, really? What do you do?" There had been many speculations in the ward about Kate, and Bernie couldn't help being curious. She didn't think the woman was Forces – she didn't sense that about her, but she had been in that chopper, and …

"I work for a governmental agency. And you …you were in the Army I believe?"

Bernie smiled wistfully: "Yes, I was."

"So what made you leave?"

"Well …I had an accident – an IED at the wrong place, and …family got in the way too, and…" Bernie couldn't go there – not with this virtual stranger. Luckily for her, AAU was busy, and she had every reason not to linger.

When Bernie left the room, Kate decided to try and phone Colonel Shindi. She left a message on his answerphone, and dialled Osgood, who answered a little hesitantly:

"Ma'am?

\- Osgood – I'm glad I caught you – I'm going mad in here. What's happening at UNIT?

\- Oh …err …nothing much …err …how are you feeling?

\- Battered, bruised, and bored, Osgood, how do you think? That's why I need to focus on something else. What about the crash? Do we know more about it?

\- The crash? Err…no, Ma'am, nothing much.

\- Osgood, if you say "nothing much" again, I'm going to get very cross indeed.

-Sorry, Ma'am."

Kate heard Osgood begin to breathe faster and to wheeze: "Inhaler, Osgood!". She heard the younger woman take a puff and frowned – she had known Osgood to react oddly at times, but this was bizarre – her assistant seemed guarded, and there was just a little tinge of …of aloofness in her voice.

"Are you all right?

\- Yes, sorry – so …how are you feeling, Ma'am?

\- Osgood! I've just told you! What are the news on the X-660 file? And on the Decamerians? And on the Silurians?

\- Err ..it's all taken care of – none of your concern…

\- Osgood, are you sure you're all right? You are not making any sense!

\- I'm fine, Ma'am – I'm sorry, but I have to go. Have a nice evening. Bye."

"A nice evening"? Kate wondered if she was really going mad – what was wrong with her assistant? When the dinner tray arrived, she threw a disgusted glance at the offerings – pea and watercress soup, spaghetti and lentils Bolognese, rice pudding – or blobs and dollops of unappetising brown slop. Nothing to booster her mood or at least to tempt her tastebuds. She chose the prawn sandwich and rice pudding – the closest she could find to cake, but only nibbled at both of them. Osgood's manner on the phone really bothered her.

During the next two days, she tried to get to know Bernie Wolfe better, but the ward was full and the consultant didn't have much time to chat. As she still hadn't heard from Colonel Shindi, Kate finally agreed to have Bernie send both their blood samples to the hospital lab for DNA testing. Kate would have preferred to have the UNIT lab do it, but at least that way they would know. She was waiting for the results to tell Bernie about the others. Maybe then they could tell their other half-sisters that they were all related.

Kate tried to contact UNIT's command in Geneva, but she was fobbed off by the secretary. She also tried to phone her replacement, General Yvon, but there too she was told that he was too busy to speak to her. Something was very wrong, but it wasn't until Josh Carter came to visit her that she understood exactly how much trouble she was in.

"Captain Carter! This is a pleasant surprise.

Ma'am – sorry I didn't come sooner, but …well, I was …hindered.

Hindered?"

Kate could see the young man was uncomfortable, but after all, no one liked hospitals…

"Yes – actually, prevented would be a better word. None of us are supposed to get in touch with you.

What ?!"

Josh sighed – he liked Kate, and he didn't like being told what to do, so he'd come, but what he had to say to his boss was not pleasant, and he didn't quite know how to proceed. He took a deep breath, and the words rushed out: "They are saying that you and the Doctor conspired against the humans with the Carpavampires. That you had been contacted by them even before your arrival at UNIT – in fact, that your father had put you in contact with them and that you joined UNIT to help them develop new strategies to survive and to feed off the human race, eventually getting rid of the humans altogether."

"WHAT ?"

And that you're insisting on re-focusing UNIT on science in order to weaken its power of retaliation in case of an invasion…. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Ma'am. And …We've all been forbidden to contact you, of course. The new chief – General Yvon – he's been pretty convincing, you know, and I think …well, people believe him. He told us that once you get out of the hospital, you would have to stand trial and answer for your treason."

Kate looked at him, shell-shocked. If her job and her reputation – and her father's reputation too weren't at stake, she would probably see the funny side of this ludicrous nonsense, but right now she couldn't. And she couldn't believe that her staff, people she'd handpicked, who'd been with her through thick and thin could turn against her and trust a virtual stranger, even if he'd been appointed by UNIT High Command and probably with the blessing of the English Government. She murmured: "By people, you mean…"

Josh fidgeted uncomfortably: "Well …I don't, but the Colonel and Sam, and…

Come on, Josh, say it – and Osgood ?

Yes, Ma'am. I'm sorry.

Kate didn't answer but her eyes reflected the anguish she was feeling – this hurt most of all. She would have trusted Osgood with her life, and now it seemed the younger woman would take the words of a stranger against hers.

\- Thank you for coming, Captain Carter – and for your loyalty. I hope you won't suffer any repercussions."

Kate turned towards the wall, ending the conversation. She needed to be alone. The nurses who came in her room that afternoon found her so listless and unresponsive that they feared a relapse.

The Carpavampires had been one of her first missions at UNIT – that file she'd had to take to MI6. There had been nothing much in the file, and UNIT had shelved the issue pretty quickly. How could they possibly think that …And with the Doctor! She had not even met the new one yet! At least now she understood why neither Osgood nor Vikram Shandi had returned her calls. If they believed she'd gone rogue…or even worse, if they believed they'd been recruited in order to help her with her master plan to dominate the Earth … She felt desperately alone and terrified. Because right then, she couldn't see a way out, and she had no one to turn too.


	11. Chapter 11

After a sleepless night spent thinking of and rejecting possible ways of clearing herself, Kate wasn't in the best of moods. Her spirits lifted a little as Morven Digby came to and offered to help her walk around the ward. Kate eagerly seized the opportunity, but as she tried to stand up, the room swayed and she would have fallen if the young doctor had not seized her arms. Her cast had been replaced by a splint, but her leg felt weak, and the jolt of pain shooting through it as she put her weight on it made her light-headed. She swore and immediately apologised to Dr Digby. Then, she took a deep breath and tried to balance on the crutch the doctor offered. After just a few steps on the ward, she was as exhausted as if she'd run a marathon. She paused for breath and Morven helped her to a chair. Then the young doctor excused herself for a moment, and Kate got a chance to take an interest in her surroundings. Not far from where she was sitting, she saw her two consultants, Ms Campbell and her probable half-sister having what appeared to be a heated discussion, although she couldn't hear what they were saying. Serena stalked away from Bernie, obviously very angry about something, and Kate noticed that Bernie's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. As the latter turned, Bernie caught Kate's eyes on her, and she stiffened and her lips set in a hard line. Kate held her glance until the other woman walked away.

When Serena came to check on Kate, Kate saw that the other woman was hiding her irritation behind her professional smile, and not succeeding very well. Kate couldn't help being curious, and although she didn't think her intervention would be welcomed, she tried:

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Serena looked at her interrogatively: "Sorry?"

\- You seem preoccupied – and I'm a captive audience – sometimes it helps to talk…

\- You're very perceptive, Ms Stewart. But I really don't think talking would help. Actually, it might have got me in that mess."

Kate raised her eyebrows: "Now you've said too much – or too little- sure you don't want to enlighten me?"

Serena sighed. She was still reeling from discovering that during her suspension, Bernie – her alleged friend- had taken over AAU and was supposed to oversee her. All that bullshit about having her watching her back! The truth was she should have been wary of the new consultant from the start. Instead, she'd confided in her about her personal life, and had thought they could become friends. Even when Bernie had been outed in the ward, she'd eventually forgiven her for not being wholly honest about the reasons for her divorce. And now, she had betrayed her in the worst way… She didn't make a habit of unburdening herself to her patients, but maybe just this once?

"Have you ever been betrayed by someone you thought was a friend, Ms Stewart?"

Kate winced and closed her eyes briefly – this hit a little too close to home: "Yes…"

"Well, you know how I feel then".

"I'm sorry."

"What for? I don't suppose you'd anything to do with it!" As soon as she'd said the words, Serena regretted them – she was biting a patient's head off, taking out her frustrations on someone who'd offered her help. "Sorry, Ms Stewart- that came out all wrong. I'm not in the best of moods. Forgive me?"

Kate nodded.

"I'll leave you to get some rest now – and …thank you for your concern."

Kate gave Serena a little smile: "You're very welcome …and …I really do understand."

Once Serena had left the room, Kate closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep, but it was no use - Serena's confession had poured salt over the fresh wound of Osgood's desertion and Kate's mind went back to when they had met each other for the first time. She prided herself on being a good judge of character, and she couldn't understand how she could have been so wrong…

After her MSc in Biochemistry at Bristol University, she had studied for her PhD in Molecular Chemistry and Genetics while holding a part-time job in a tea room in Clifton, not far from the campus. Her sons lived with her mother, and she saw them over the weekends. After her PhD, she'd been lucky enough to be recommended for a post at her alma mater, and she had found a flat in Clifton for her and her kids. She'd never thought she would enjoy teaching – much too reserved for that – but she got used to it after a while, and the campus was lovely. Most of the students fitted the traditional boffin stereotype – bespectacled, shaggy-haired, rather unkempt and male. Each year, a few girls intruded on this boys' bastion, and they were usually brighter, quieter and more hard-working than their male counterparts. Many women lecturers actually disliked having girls in their classes – Kate didn't understand them, and although she didn't give a preferential treatment to the girls, she certainly wasn't any harsher with them. Anyway, she'd been teaching for a few years when she'd noticed a very clever mind hiding behind black-rimmed glasses, a terrible dress sense and an old-fashioned name, Petronella. Petronella's major was different from her own, but she'd followed her progresses during her BSc and her MSc, and when she'd left Bristol to take up her UNIT position, she knew that Petronella was working for her own PhD in Catalysis and Interfacial Science under one of Kate's former colleague and friend, Dr. John Birnbaum. After her dreadful interview with UNIT's top officers, when she'd at last been granted a budget to hire some staff, Kate had contacted John and asked him if he thought Petronella might be interested in coming to work for her.

In those days, Kate supervised all the interviews for new staff herself. UNIT had office space not far from the Tower where they could bring people who didn't need to know the exact location of its headquarters. It was already a quarter past the time of the interview when a timid knock interrupted Kate as she was enjoying the view from the window. She rose and opened the door to the young woman standing nervously behind.

"I'm so sorry, Dr Stewart – I missed my train, and then took the wrong bus, and …"

\- All right- come in and sit down, Petronella – we've got a lot to discuss.

\- Thank you – may I ask …could you call me Osgood?"

Kate looked at her ex-student curiously, but she nodded: "Osgood – works for me; now, I've got your tests results here, and it seems that you're exactly what we're looking for…" The young woman was as brilliant as Kate remembered from her teaching day, and as awkward, too, but Kate didn't care about that. What she wanted was a clever and trustworthy assistant, and Osgood fitted the bill. During their years working together, Kate had had more than one occasions to congratulate herself on hiring Osgood. In many ways the younger woman reminded her of herself, and she felt very protective towards her. Although she hid it behind barbed comments and sometimes curt orders, Osgood was certainly her favourite in all the UNIT staff, and she always tried to shield her from danger. And until now, she'd been pretty sure her assistant was devoted to her. Until now…


	12. Chapter 12

The door opened, interrupting Kate's train of thoughts, and Bernie came into the room.

"Kate – are you all right?

Kate nodded, wiping her eyes furiously, but the other woman had already seen the tears: "I'm fine – what do you want?"

Bernie came to sit by the bed – she wondered whether to pick up on the tears, but she guessed that if Kate was anything like her, she wouldn't like it: "I got the DNA test back …You were right – we are related."

Kate closed her eyes for a minute to proceed the information – she had to admit to herself that this was one time she'd have given anything to have been wrong: "Right – okay …"

Bernie gave her a half-smile: "I know – quite a shock for me too. So …your father – I mean our father – is he still alive?"

"I'm sorry, Bernie – he died a few years ago."

Bernie sighed: "Maybe it's better that way – I'm still not sure how I feel about all this…so …any other skeletons in the family closet I should know about?"

Kate swallowed audibly – even though she knew perfectly well she wasn't responsible for her father's dalliances and secrets, she didn't relish telling her newly-found sister that there were two more of them: "Not skeletons exactly, but twins – Emily and Eve – they will be 38 in two months."

Bernie sighed again: "I see – well, I suppose it could be worse – at least he didn't father quadruplets."

Kate smiled: "You're right – we should look on the bright side."

Bernie smiled back: "And about that – why don't you tell me what's bothering you? We're family after all."

Kate shut down abruptly – they might be family, but she didn't want sympathy, or pity, or …and Bernie was still Forces. Bernie waited, but the other woman pressed her lips together. She thought she could maybe try another topic: "So …Two more sisters …have you met them?"

Kate grimaced, remembering her first meeting with Emily: "Yes and no – I met Emily – it was a work thing – and …well, it didn't go that well. I haven't met Eve. And it's likely neither of them knows we exist.

\- A work thing?

\- Yes – Emily works for MI6."

Bernie's eyebrows rose: "I see…And you?

\- I told you – a governmental agency…"

Kate was well aware that Bernie was fishing and wouldn't be satisfied with that answer, but she couldn't really tell her the truth, could she? "Well, I'm part of a department which specialises in making contact with aliens and protecting the Earth from them. And, by the way, I'm currently being ousted from my post and accused of treason…" Her sister would call the hospital shrinks and get her sectioned! Instead, she deflected the conversation: "Any chance I can get out of here anytime soon?"

Bernie bit her lips: "Well, as you're technically family, I shouldn't be treating you. I ought to hand over your case to Ser – Ms Campbell.

\- Oh – right – by the way, what's going on between you two?

\- What do you mean?

\- I was in the ward earlier, and you seemed to have an…animated discussion."

It was Bernie's turn to shut down. When Hanssen had asked her to keep an eye on the ward even after Serena's return, she'd agreed because she wanted to do Serena a good turn. And, if she was honest with herself, because she missed being in charge. But obviously Serena had misinterpreted her intentions, and now they were at loggerheads. However, even if Kate was her sister, it wouldn't do to blab about hospital business to a patient.

"Just a difference of opinion on something.

Okay…so, could you ask her to come and see me? I really, really want to go home – I have …things to take care of.

Of course – I understand – but even if we released you now, you shouldn't be home alone for a while; you can hardly walk, and you could also develop some neurological symptoms …

Oh, great!

So are you …do you have someone at home?

Kate smiled: "No …footloose and fancy-free…but I'm rarely at home anyway – my work is very demanding." Then her face darkened, as she remembered her current predicament – if they took her job from her, what would she do?

Bernie noticed the change of mood: "Sorry if I touched a nerve – but I know what it's like. When you're in the army, you don't spend much time at home either. My kids …well, it feels like one day they were toddlers demanding hugs and kisses on chocolate-smeared faces, and the next they were moody teenagers you couldn't touch with a barge pole…

How old are they now?

Charlotte is 26 and Cameron 24 – pretty much grown-up. And you? Any kids?

Yes …Two, Gordon and Campbell – older than yours. And before you ask – they don't know about my accident – one of them followed his grand-father in the army, only he chose the Navy, and he's on a mission God knows where, on board of a submarine. And the other one teaches philosophy at Lincoln University. So neither of them is going to come and babysit me.

I see…Any friends you could go to?

Kate closed her eyes, and Bernie saw that she was once again trying to hold back the tears. She got up and pretended to browse through Kate's file – she couldn't bear to see someone cry – it made her extremely uncomfortable. She hadn't cried since her aunt and uncle's death – or more precisely, since their solicitor had announced that she would have to live with her aunt's elder brother, who'd been named her guardian in their will. She had spent most of the subsequent years until her majority at boarding school but when she'd had to spend time at her uncle, he had done his best to "cure her of this disgraceful habit" – his words. She had soon understood that it was in her best interest to remain dry-eyed…Bernie shivered, remembering those dark days. Her heart went to her sister, who appeared to be even lonelier than herself. And before she could regret it, she blurted out: "Well, you could always live with me for a while – I mean, assuming you don't need to return to work immediately…

That's …very kind of you, but …

You don't have to decide now – just think about it; I'm renting a flat, and it's not huge, but it's got a spare room.

Thank you. I'll think about it.

You're welcome – right, I'm going to try and find Ms Campbell for you."

And Bernie escaped before the situation got mushy. Later, alone in her office, she thought about what Kate had said. Why was the bloody woman so secretive about her job anyway? You'd think she was a secret agent! And speaking of secret agent – they had a sister working for MI6 …Bernie wondered why Kate had not been tempted to contact Eve and Emily, to let them know they were related. From what she'd gathered, Kate did not have an excess of family either. Bernie sighed – of course, family could be a burden rather that a joy, but…apart from Cameron and Charlotte – and now Kate, she had no one. When she saw Serena and her newly-found nephew, she couldn't help thinking that she was lucky. So…Two younger sisters …She would have to talk with Kate again – they had to agree on that.

Left to herself, Kate considered her options. Could she possibly live with a complete stranger, even if they shared bits of DNA? And could she possibly trust Bernie with her current situation? She would never be able to prove her innocence alone. Her father was always going on about the importance of teamwork, loyalty and solidarity…She needed help, but she had no idea whom to turn to. She realised that during her years at UNIT, she had relied on Osgood and the others as a matter of course. But now she was on her own. The tears she had managed to check in Bernie's presence escaped again, and when Serena came into the room, she found Kate with her head in her arms, crying. When Kate heard her approaching the bed, she turned towards the wall, but her shoulders were shaking and she couldn't quite catch her breath. Serena wondered whether she should disappear and leave the other woman to her grief, but Kate was crying like a distraught child, racking sobs that appeared to tear her apart, to come from a deep place of pain and anguish, and Serena couldn't abandon her. She came tentatively forward and put her arm around Kate's shoulders. For a moment, Kate buried her head in Serena's arms and clung to her desperately. Then she straightened up and wiped her eyes furiously. Not quite meeting Serena's eyes, she murmured: "I'm so sorry, Ms Campbell. I don't know …well, I'm not usually …I haven't cried that much since …a long time." As she was saying the words, she realised they were true. There had been tears during her teenage years, because you couldn't be an adolescent girl and not be prone to intense bouts of angst, tears of exhaustion, late at night, during her first months at UNIT, but she hadn't cried since. Not even at her mother's or at her father's funeral. She hated crying, because she needed to be in control, and it made her feel weak and vulnerable.

Serena pulled back too and went to have a look at Kate's file: "Don't worry, Ms Stewart – we're all allowed a little break-down sometimes. You've been through a lot."

And you don't know the half of it, thought Kate, as she tried to calm herself down. Her eyes were red and raw, and she found she was shivering. "Thank you. Ms Campbell – I really need to get out of here; is there any chance you can release me in the next few days? I have …things to do."

Serena looked at her sympathetically: "Of course – I understand that, but you need to give your body a chance to heal. Otherwise you may find yourself back here again, and I'm sure you don't want that.

Well, no, of course not, but …

No buts – I promise you we'll do our best to get you out of here as quickly as possible.

Thank you."

When Serena left, Kate leant back in the bed and sighed – she was getting utterly sick of lying down, and she'd never been a good patient. At least she was now wearing real clothes – not her own, but she'd pleaded with Morven Digby to go and buy her a change of clothes – she'd even had to borrow the money from her, but she must seem trustworthy, because the young doctor had immediately agreed. At least some people thought she was an upstanding citizen… That was another thing – she'd lost her credit card in the crash, but she had a spare one at home, and until she could get hand of it, she had nothing. It wouldn't solve her problem with UNIT, but it would at least make her feel like an independent woman again.

For the other rigmarole…She sighed again – she still had no idea how to prove her innocence – not by normal human ways in any case. She could only see one person who could help her – surely her father would have advised her to contact him…Only …The space-time telegraph the Doctor had given to the Brigadier was in the Black Archive, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't be welcome there! If there was another way, she wasn't aware of it.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Meanwhile…In London**_

"Earth to Eve, are you listening?"

Eve Granger, who been staring at the same sheet of paper for at least five minutes, lifted her head and looked at her colleague: "Sorry, I was miles away – did you want something?

I'm going to get a coffee and something to eat, and I was asking if _you_ wanted something.

Oh – well, I wouldn't mind a tall black coffee then – thank you, Roy.

Tall black coming right up – late night?

Eve grimaced: "Not really late – just …agitated." Actually, if felt like light years since her last full night of sleep. Her body could not relax – even in bed, her muscles were taut, her senses in alert. Her mind kept going back to the events of the previous months…Brian Wicklow had missed her jugular by an inch, and she had been very, very lucky – that's what they had told her at the hospital. Sometimes she wondered if he had intentionally not killed her – because she had to live with the memories and the pain. Sometimes she even thought she would rather be dead, but she had her children to think of. During the last six months, she'd been on a roller-coaster, careening up and down without control. She had stayed in hospital for a fortnight, and then she'd had another fortnight of sickness leave. She had spent it alone in her new flat, and it had been enough to convince her she couldn't possibly stay there. It would never feel like home. Her children had stayed with her mother, and she'd had to hire a lawyer, because her ex-husband had threatened to ask for full custody. He'd lost, but the whole thing had added another layer of trauma.

When she'd gone back to work, her colleague Ajay had treated her as if she was a fragile piece of china, and she had been given lighter cases – cold cases, in fact, the ones no one expected to solve after a number of years. Even DI Hazel Norton had cut her some slack at first. Hazel had been surprisingly gentle when she'd told Eve that Jack Osborne had had to be sectioned after barricading himself at home and threatening to blow up the house. Something in him had finally snapped, and he'd been diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder. He would probably end his life heavily sedated in a mental hospital. Eve had taken this as another blow to her emotionally bruised and battered body. Even though she'd not really believed they could have had a future together, it had felt like another door closing on her future.

However, the department was as usual short-staffed, especially as a flu epidemic deprived it of two detectives, and the DI had to put Eve back or more pressing cases. The first ones were not easy – murder never is – but Eve managed to get back into the saddle all right. She still had panic attacks, mostly when she was at home by herself, but they were becoming less frequent. A few months on, the department received a call by a jogger – she'd been running in her local park, and she'd discovered a body. When Hazel arrived with Eve and Ajay, the woman was waiting for them, distraught. The scene was gruesome – a young girl's body laid on the ground, half-hidden under the bushes – she was almost naked, and her body, already in rigor mortis, was covered with welts and cigarette burns. Even though Eve was used to such sights, this time her inner preservation mechanism, the one which had till then had allowed her to separate her affects from her job, failed her. She began to shiver violently and only had time to walk away a little before throwing up. When more police forces arrived on the crime scene and Ajay was able to get away, he found her huddled on a bench, heads in her hands. Her heart was beating a tattoo in her chest, her breathing was shallow, and she was ashen. Through the buzzing of her ears, she heard Hazel order Ajay to "get her out of here" in a disgusted tone. It took almost a quarter of an hour before Ajay was able to get her back to the patrol car, as her legs refused to obey her. When he finally left her that night, on her insistence, Eve took a scorching shower, but even that didn't stop her shivering. She was glad her children were staying with her mother – her new apartment was still not ready for them, and as she spent long hours and sometimes nights at work, it was more convenient. She missed them, but she didn't want them to see her in such a state. Gingerly, she traced the scar on her throat with her finger – it had faded, from an angry red to a pale pink, but the ridge would always remind her of that day – if ever she was able to forget it. The young girl they had found was about her daughter's age, and that had been unsettling enough, but she knew that what had caused her panic attack was the state of the body – the bruises, the scars, the welts – obviously the victim had been kept alive and tortured for a while, the killer had fed on her suffering, like …like Wicklow.

Despite a little white pill, sleep eluded her, and she dressed on automatic pilot before downing a large mug of coffee. She almost gagged at the bitter taste of the liquid in her mouth – sleeping pills always left an aftertaste – but she needed the caffeine if she wanted to go through the day. She hadn't been at work for more than half an hour when Hazel summoned her into her office. Eve grimaced and braced herself for an unpleasant moment.

"Well? Anything to say?

I'm sorry, boss – it won't happen again.

You know, Eve, there were a lot of people who thought you shouldn't have come back to work. Me included.

…

So if you can't control yourself, I suggest you think about a career change. For now, I want you and Ajay on that case.

Boss."

Back at her desk, Eve put her head in her hands and sighed deeply. Ajay looked at her interrogatively: "Feeling better?"

Eve managed a half-smile: "If the hammer in my head would stop, I would be almost fine. But …

Did she tell you she wanted us on that case?"

Eve nodded.

"I'm sorry, Eve – I did try to tell her to cut you some slack, but ...

Suddenly, Eve felt an overwhelming wave of anger engulf her, an anger she had repressed for several years: "And that stupid bloody cow didn't listen to you – what a surprise! They never care – the others – they used me as bait – they knew Wicklow would latch on me. And that – that fucking dictator …she's bloody perfect, isn't she – no feelings, no emotions! And you were right – she wants me to fail! She just hates my guts! Hates it that I'm a woman too! Well, fuck her! "

When she looked up, she saw Hazel standing in the doorway. The DI had obviously heard every word, and she didn't look happy. Eve went red and lowered her eyes. Hazel ignored her and got the file she'd come for without a word. Ajay stood up and went to get a glass of water he put in front of Eve, who'd buried her head in her hands. They looked at each other silently, but they both knew what would happen. Ajay said hesitantly: "What if you were to go and apologise? Maybe she wouldn't …take action?"

Eve grimaced: "You really believe that? I've just given her the perfect motive to get rid of me.

\- Well…You certainly didn't mince your words…"

When Eve came to work the next morning, she found a note asking her to go and see Hazel as soon as she got in. She took a deep breath, set her shoulders back and went to knock on the DI's door. Hazel barked "Come in", but she didn't even offer Eve a seat – she just handed her a piece of paper and motioned for her to read it. Eve took the document, cursing herself for not being able to stop her hands from trembling. There wasn't much to read – Written warning, DS Eve Granger has breached standards of authority, respect and courtesy, followed by a few paragraphs of legal jargon. She lifted her head when Hazel spoke: "I could add "breach of honesty and integrity – I believe you've not been honest about your health status."

Eve bit her lips but did not answer. If she was to be dismissed, at least she ought to go with dignity. But with such a stain in her career path, it would be hard to work for the police again. Probably impossible. She had been so proud of her job – of course, the best achievements of her life were her two children, but her career came a very close second – it still wasn't easy to be a woman in the constabulary. She was so deep in her own thoughts that she almost missed what Hazel was saying : "Contrary to what you think, Eve, I'm not the enemy. It would give me no pleasure to give you that warning. You're a good cop – or at least you are when you're in your right mind. So here's what I suggest – this paper is going to disappear – vanish into thin air. And you're going to apply for another job – I think it would be better if it wasn't in the territorials – you should try the Special Forces."

Eve stared at her incredulously – part of her hated to be indebted to the DI, but Hazel was throwing her a lifeline, and she couldn't afford to reject it. The pay wasn't great, but it was always better than the dole, and she couldn't live at her mother's forever. Anyway, after everything that had happened, her mother had decided to put the house on sale and to move into a smaller flat. So Eve definitely couldn't afford to be unemployed – it was not as if her ex was regular with child payment. She swallowed audibly and tried to find the right words: "That is … very kind. I'd be …much obliged to you, boss. And …I shouldn't have said what I said – I was …angry. I'm sorry.

\- Right – well, I've got work to do, and so have you."

Once back at her desk, Eve stared at her blank computer screen as if it was going to give her the answers she needed. She'd dodged a bullet, but she had to find a new job.

She had been very lucky – her new colleagues at Counter Terrorism Command had been very welcoming, and even if she wasn't as close to her desk mate Roy Harris as she'd been to Ajay, he was becoming a good friend. The work was interesting too, and she had to acknowledge that she didn't really miss the crime scenes and autopsys. Mark and Antonia had not been very happy about moving to London – they didn't want to change schools, but the fact that her mother had sold her flat and moved to London too had helped, as she was able to keep looking after them when Eve was working late. They saw their father on weekends and part of the holidays, and now, after nearly a year, they'd made new friends. She was the one who felt lonely, but then, she hadn't had many friends in Leicester either.

One of the other positive aspect of the move was of course that she now lived closer to her twin sister Emily but they both worked rather unsociable hours and they hadn't been able to see each other a lot, although they frequently phoned each other. Actually, they were almost doing the same job now, in different departments. Emily had wanted to leave MI6 – in fact, she had resigned, but after a few weeks of well-earned holidays, she had re-considered, and with the minimum amount of grovelling possible, she'd been able to get another job there – with as many responsibilities, but less direct contact with the agents. She had never forgotten how close she'd come to killing a man, but she still wanted to fight for security and freedom. Those "holidays" had actually been so dismal that they had convinced her work was the best cure against heartache. She would probably never forget Raza Michaels, but with time she hoped the memory would become a balm and not a sore.


	14. Chapter 14

Dying of boredom, Kate asked for paper and pen – as she couldn't find a way to contact the Doctor or to solve her problem only by thinking, she hoped that putting her ideas – or at least any ideas that may come to her – in writing would help. However, she found herself staring at the blank page. When the words came, they weren't exactly the ones she was looking for…

"Dear Osgood" – No, that sounded stupid – "Osgood…I know that you have been told that I have betrayed UNIT and my country. I cannot blame you for believing it – apparently General Yvon presented the case well. Or …actually, I do blame you. Because I thought that with all we have been through together, you would know I would never turn against my own people. And I would never do anything to harm them, or you. Do you remember when we fought against the Tengabushi? I will never forget when I learnt that they had attacked you in your own apartment. I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you then. And then I was the one who brought you to Geneva with me, and once again I felt as if I was the one putting you in danger. You have always said you are not a field operator, and I always seem to send you to the front line. That other time …with the Silurians – when we were in the cave – I really thought I would die there – there was a chance in a million that I would find the antidote to the venom, and that it would work. But I was terrified not of dying, but because you would not save yourself and live me. I did not want to be responsible for your death. I thought …I thought you cared for me a little too – but maybe that was just professional loyalty. I am not very good with feelings – mine, or other people's. Not very good at showing people what they mean to me. I just …freeze, I cannot find the words. What I want to say is that I am hurt – and I am hurt not so much because UNIT command wants me out, but because you do not trust me. I do not have so many friends that I can afford to lose one. I am sorry for all the times I have endangered your life, and I am sorry I never told you how much you meant to me. But right now, my physical pain is nothing compared to the pain of thinking you have abandoned me…"

Kate dropped the pen in disgust – if she never got her job back, she could always make a living as a Mills & Boon author! Or as a soap opera scriptwriter… How soppy could she get? Really! The painkillers or the tedium of lying in a hospital bed were making her much too maudlin for her taste. Luckily, Osgood would never see that letter, because she had no intention of sending it. She was in the process of crumpling the paper when Bernie came into the room.

"Morning. Have you got good news for me? Like, I can go home?

I'm sorry, Kate – I told you Ms Campbell would decide that. I just wanted to ask you …

Yes?

Well…you said …you said our father had had …two other kids …and …

And? For God's sake! Just say what you want to say, okay? I haven't got much patience right now.

Right – sorry. Iwantedtoaskyouifyouwantedtomeetthem.

Sorry?

I thought I could try and contact them – I …I would like to meet them, but I won't do it if it's going to make you uncomfortable.

Kate bit her lips and pondered for a while before answering. In truth, she would rather not. She would rather forget all about those two other half-sisters, just as she had done since she'd learnt about their existence. She really didn't want to think about the fact that her father had had other children – that he might have held them in his arms, cuddled them, loved them…She knew it was ridiculous, especially as they were much younger than herself, and he'd long been divorced from her mother, but…She didn't want to share him, especially as he wasn't there anymore. With Bernie, it was different, because she knew that he had not been present in her childhood either. He had abandoned her, just as he had Kate and her mother. And at least she'd been there for his last years of life. Bernie had not even known him. But when the twins were born, he'd been retired from UNIT, or at least semi-retired, and he'd had more time…time to spend with his kids, maybe. She hated to feel jealous, and she couldn't blame her half-sisters, but… However, she sensed that this was important for Bernie. She didn't know much about her yet, but she didn't think she had a lot of family around. She'd talked about her children, but there had been no mention of a husband or a partner, and her offer of a room in her house made in pretty clear she was living alone. Her father had often told her that he'd been lucky to have UNIT after his army career, because when one left the army, one didn't only leave a job, but a family and a way of life. Of course Bernie seemed quite happy in her current job, but the discussion she'd witnessed between her and Serena Campbell showed it was probably not all plain sailing for her sister. All in all, she had no right to keep her from contacting Emily and Eve. Or at least Emily, hoping the twins were in contact, because she had no idea how to find Eve now she did not have her UNIT connections anymore.

"Kate?

Yes, sorry – just …Remembering. No, of course not – I mean, of course I don't mind if you want to contact them. It could even be …fun…

Okaayy…Well, if you're sure you don't mind – you did say Emily worked for MI6, right? Do you know her last name?

Tuthill; Emily Tuthill – her mother's last name, apparently.

Good thing she isn't called Jane Smith – should be pretty easy to find her …

Bernie was walking out of the room when Kate called her back: "Bernie?

Yes?

I just wanted to say …about your offer – if it's still on, I'd like to live with you for a while. A short while, mind you, as short as possible! But …thank you – that was amazingly kind of you."

Bernie blushed: "It's quite all right – and of course it's still on."

Kate grinned: "Good! We just have to work on Ms Campbell to get her to release me then!" Bernie bit her lips, thinking that Serena wouldn't be easy to be "worked on", but she nodded. Relations had warmed up between Serena and herself – an "entente cordiale" had been restored, and Serena had even acknowledged that they were after all equals, after resigning and taking her resignation back! Even thought they were now co-heads of AAU, that didn't mean they agreed on everything…


	15. Chapter 15

It took a few more days before Serena Campbell agreed to let Kate out. Even with Bernie's arm supporting her, she still felt rather woozy and light-headed, and she had to avoid putting all her weight on her weak leg. It gave her a terrible sensation of vulnerability, which she hated, and it scared her – she wasn't used to being sick. Whenever she'd had ailments or accidents before, she'd always bounced back quickly, but this dragged on, and she was afraid she would never completely recover.

Bernie refused to take her to London immediately, even though she knew Kate was anxious to get her own clothes and things. She knew the drive would be too much for her sister. Kate grumbled, but she really had no choice. Being out of the hospital and able to potter about in a flat, even if it was rather small and not hers, already made her feel better. They did not see each other that much, as Bernie's schedule was heavy, but Kate had to admit that knowing her sister would check on her at least once a day reassured her. She still hadn't found a plan to contact the Doctor, and with no other news from Josh or anyone else from UNIT, she felt adrift. Bernie had told her she had found Emily's work email, and that she had sent one, but had had no answer yet.

When Bernie had told Serena she'd invited Kate to stay with her, Serena had told her she was insane.

"So you've invited a complete stranger to stay with you? Have you lost your mind?

She's not a complete stranger – technically, she's my half-sister, Serena.

Technically …she could be your half-sister and a complete psycho, you know?

Does she really look like a psycho?

No…not really – but it's not like psychos wear a badge or anything…and there …I mean, do you even know what she was doing in that helicopter?

I don't – she's very secretive about her job, I admit. But honestly! I've been in the Army for more than ten years – I can take care of myself.

Right …so you'll sleep with your service weapon under your pillow?

Bernie gave Serena an exasperated look: "I'm just trying to do something nice. And anyway …aren't you living with your delightful nephew?"

Serena grimaced: "Touché…but it's not all plain sailing, as you well know."

"Kate isn't going to stay forever – just until she gets back on her feet. And if you're worried she'll leave with my precious heirlooms, well, I don't have any – I left those at Marcus', and I don't think I'll get them back anytime soon – not that I had many in the first place! And I'm not home a lot anyway, so we won't get into each other's way.

All right, all right…"

Serena had been oddly reluctant to say goodbye to Kate. For all she said about her to Bernie, she found the woman strangely magnetic. She had even found herself asking Kate if she would like to have a drink after her discharge from the hospital. Kate had seemed surprised, but she hadn't refused.

The three of them were supposed to meet at the Snooty Fox, the pub closest to Bernie's, so that Kate didn't have to walk too much, but Bernie was detained in surgery, so Serena went alone. When she arrived at the pub, Kate was already there. Kate grinned: "I came early – anything to get out of the apartment."

"Thanks …

Oh, sorry – that's not what I …it's nice to see you, really. No Bernie?

No – she'll join us later – a patient with a gunshot to the abdomen – she was still in theatre when I left. What are you drinking?

Double Scotch?

Serena gave her a knowing look: "Ms Stewart …you know very well that your pain meds and alcohol don't mix…

Kate sighed: "You doctors are much too straight – all right – a glass of white wine, then - shouldn't interfere too much with the meds."

When Serena came back with Kate's drink and her own glass of Shiraz, there were a few minutes of silence before any of them could think of something to talk about. Finally, after enquiring about Kate's health, Serena asked about her job: "So? Eager to get back to work? I'm sure you must be one of those indispensable people an office can't run without…"

Kate's face clouded over. She had begun to relax and Serena's words had just thrown her back into her uncomfortable reality. Moreover, she still hadn't told Bernie exactly what she did for a living, and she couldn't see herself confiding in Serena either. However, having no one to talk to about her current predicament was taking a heavy toll on her, and even though she was slowly getting better physically, the nightmares she had every night and the dark shadows beneath her eyes told a different story about her mental state. She sighed. Maybe she could unburden herself just a little? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? She took a deep breath and leant towards Serena – the pub was filling up and the noise level had risen accordingly: "I'm not so sure about indispensable. They are …they are trying to get rid of me.

Get rid of you? Are you sure? Surely they just want you to take your time getting better?

Kate grimaced: "I wish. But no – I've been …cut off from my team."

"You mean they're firing you? But surely they know you'll be able to get back to work soon? It's not like if you had a long-term illness.

They are not firing me, exactly. My …company doesn't work like that. Not at my level anyway."

Kate paused, wondering if she should go on. She took another deep breath, and added quickly: "They're going to sue me – or get me arrested – or something like that. And …please don't ask me anymore about it, okay? I just…I can't …"

Serena's years as a doctor had told her how to keep her reactions in check, and she was able to keep a poker face at Kate's revelations. Kate had hidden her face in her hands, and Serena regretted having broached the topic of work in the first place. She looked at the pub's door, hoping to see Bernie come in, but no luck. Tentatively, she reached out and silently put her hand on Kate's arm. After a few seconds, Kate lifted her head and gave her a half-hearted smile: "I'm sorry – You must think I'm a real screw-up. I swear I'm not usually like that." She reached in her pocket, but her hand came out empty. Serena handed her a tissue, and Kate moped her eyes.

"Don't worry – everyone's entitled to a meltdown once in a while. Believe me, I've had a few myself. Anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Kate smiled dejectedly: "Thanks – I honestly don't think so. But that's very kind of you. Or … well, I don't want to impose, but …I know you and Bernie are very busy, but I really need to go back to my flat to get a few things…"

Serena frowned: "You're not up to travelling yet – I'm sure Bernie told you that."

Kate bit her lip sheepishly: "Well…" Serena went on: "But if you trust me, and you tell me where I can find your keys and your things, I can go for you – I'm free the day after tomorrow."

Kate hesitated – after all, Serena was a virtual stranger, and she hated to be indebted to anyone. However, she really needed fresh clothes, a few toiletries, and most of all, her home laptop.

"If you're sure – luckily, I always leave a spare set of keys with the caretaker of the adjacent office building – I can phone him beforehand. As for the clothes and things, it's quite easy – I'll make you a list. Thank you so much! Really…

You're very welcome. Ah! Here's Bernie – let's have another round while you make that list."


	16. Chapter 16

As Serena drove back to Holby, she thought about Kate's flat. The only word that came to mind was "Spartan". On the top floor of a town house, the small flat – more like a bedsit than a flat, contained very few personal items. If it weren't for two pictures, one of them showing a toddler Kate with a blonde woman and the other one two teenage boys, anyone could have lived there. Except for tea, coffee, chocolate and biscuits, the kitchen was bare, and the rest of the flat had been colonised by books. She'd found the clothes and the toiletries where Kate had said they would be, and the laptop. She'd had to forage in the bedroom for the last item on the list "brown cardboard box, middle-sized, rather heavy, probably bottom right bed. closet.", but she'd found it eventually, and she'd lugged everything back to her car. She was on her way to Bernie's when her pager rang – apparently she was late for a staff meeting. Well, too bad! They'd have to do without her.

Once dressed in her own clothes, Kate felt much better – she'd thanked Serena profusely, and exchanged the suitcase and box with four bottles of Shiraz, which had made Serena's eyes lit up: "I can see my reputation as a lush is well-established….

You can thank Bernie – she gave me a hint…

You didn't have to; it was no trouble at all – right – I must run; take care.

Thank you again. You take care too."

Left in the flat on her own, Kate put away the contents of the suitcase and sat on the couch, staring at the cardboard box. She wasn't quite sure why she'd asked Serena to find it. It hadn't left her closet for years …All she had left of her father…His will had been very clear – she was to take that box, to sell the few items of furniture he'd had at the retirement home, and to give his clothes away. She'd obeyed, only keeping his pipe, one of his favourite caps, and the box. But she'd never opened it. Too many memories – she was afraid…She was still staring at it when Bernie came home. Kate saw the other woman was exhausted. Bernie flopped into the couch beside her and heaved a deep sigh.

"Long day?" Bernie nodded: "Yes – well, no more than usual, but …" She had just spent four hours operating on a little girl who'd been involved in a RTC. Bernie had managed to save her life, but the child would keep some scars for the rest of her life, a thought which tugged at Bernie's heartstrings. The child's face sported a red gash, and there were other wounds on her body from the surgical procedures, but at least all her internal organs were still there and mostly intact, thanks to Bernie's skills. However, it was harder to dissociate when you were operating on a child – as much as you wanted to be emotionally remote, you couldn't completely shut down. Maybe because a child's distress was usually magnified by the parents' anguish – you had to bear the burden of the whole family. In little Emma's case, the whole family had come to the hospital – the parents, the grand-parents and two siblings.. The mother had ranted at Bernie, because she couldn't give her assurance that the little girl would be all right. The day had taken its toll and although Bernie would have liked nothing more than to crash into bed and sleep, she knew that sleep would elude her right then. During her first years in the Army, she'd been able to sleep at will, as the hours of rest were few and precious. However, now she was back in civilian life, her brain often refused to shut down, and when it did, her subconscious produced horrific nightmares of her previous life, especially when her current patients evoked the memory of injuries she'd treated while in deployment. She shook her head as if to dispel the images that came to mind, and glanced at the box on the coffee table: "What's this?

I don't know…

You …don't know ?"

Kate sighed: "Well …I do and I don't – my father …well, our father – left it to me. But I've no idea what's inside." Bernie looked at her sympathetically: "Do you want to open it? Now, I mean?

Why not? It's not like …like it'll change anything."

She began to rip off the sticky tape, and lifted the lid. Immediately she was engulfed by memories – a smell of cold pipe tobacco and cologne triggered a flow of images, and once again she felt close to tears. All those wasted years when she and her father had been estranged…She reached into the box and pulled the contents one by one. A few books, an old wallet, a Webley LK IV…Kate smiled – she knew her father had kept his service weapon…a tweed cap – so he'd known she would want to keep one – a geode – they'd shared a passion for mineralogy, and a velvet pouch. She handed the wallet to Bernie: "You open it …I…can't"

Bernie took the wallet and opened the clasp. She extracted a few faded photos. Several of them were of the Brigadier with other men and women. Kate pointed out the ones she recognised: "This is Mike Yates …this one must be …Sergeant Benton, he hasn't changed much …and …Oh, this one is Jo – Jo Jones, the scientist. They were all …colleagues." When they saw the other pictures, the two women stared in silence…four little blonde girls stared at them from three faded prints. Slowly, Bernie turned them over… "Kate, 1970; Berenice, 1971; Eve, Emily, 1985"

Kate exhaled : "So he wanted me to know…" Bernie swallowed audibly: "Yes …apparently he didn't want to leave it to chance – or serendipity.

He was a scientist, after all…"

To hide her emotion, Bernie reached for the velvet pouch: "Any idea what's in there?" Kate shook her head. Bernie untied the strings and emptied the pouch in her hand – a heavy signet ring fell into it: "Have you ever seen this, Kate?

No …Never…

It's faded but …is it a W?

Yes, I think so …

So …not his, then? Or? You did say he was Alastair Gordon? No William, or Walter or …

No …I think …I think it was given to him by an old friend of his."

Bernie saw that all this reminiscence seemed painful for Kate. Although she was curious, she decided not to probe any further: "You can tell me about it later …if you want to – right now, I think I'm ready for a cup of cocoa in bed – do you want one?

Why not? Thank you …and…"

Kate twirled the tweed cap between her fingers: "Would you like to keep this? I was supposed to give all his clothes away, but I cheated – he had four or five of these, and I kept one, so …there's a spare one." Bernie smiled: "You cheated? Well….well. I would – thank you."

As Bernie busied herself in the kitchen, Kate stared at the ring – she'd never seen it before, but she knew what the W stood for. Was this what she'd been looking for?


End file.
